Tube flaring tool



Dec. 20, 1955 I G. E. FRANCK TUBE FLARING TOOL Filed Oct. '23, 1951 IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent Imperial a corporation of This invention relates toa flaring tool and more particularly to a flaring tool adapted toproduce a flare on the end of a tube.

It is the general object of this invention to produce a new and improvedflaring tool.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a flaring toolof the type having a plurality of generally conical rollers rotatablycarried in a conical flaring head, the rollers projecting from the headto engage the tube and perform the flaring operation, in which the baseof each roller is spherical and in which the member against which thespherical ends of the rollers bear during a flaring operation is sospaced relative to the flaring head as to permit very slight axial shiftof the rollers so that the rollers during a flaring operation havesubstantially only line contact with the surfaces defining the recessesin which they are carried.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent fromthe following description and drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a tube flaring tool embodying theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the center portion of the toolshown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the lower end of the shaft and the conecarried thereby;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the cone showing the rollers positionedtherein; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the tube flaring cone.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail one specific embodiment, with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principlesof the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to theembodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed outin the appended claims.

For the purposes of exemplary disclosure, the flaring means of thisinvention is shown as embodied in a tube flaring tool of the typedescribed in my copending application Serial No. 206,993 filed January20, 1951, now Patent No. 2,707,511, dated May 3, 1955, and comprises ayoke having a pair of legs 11 and 12, each provided with a step portion13 adapted to support a tube clamping device 14 which operates to hold atube 15 in position to be flared.

The apex 16 of the yoke is provided with an integral internally threadedcollar portion 17, the threads of which engage the threads provided onthe outer surface of a hollow shaft 18. Rotatably secured within thehollow of the shaft 18 is a solid cylindrical shaft 20 provided with asquared portion 21 at its upper end to which is secured a handle 22 forrotating the shaft. Means in the form of a lost-motion connection 23 areprovided for connecting the handle to the shaft 18 so that rotation ofthe handle produces not only rotation of the shaft 20, but also rotationof the shaft 18 to rotate a tube flaring cone 24 secured to the end ofthe shaft to advance the cone against the end of a tube to be flared.The lost-motion connection includes a first pin 26 secured to the handle22 with the pin being adapted to contact a second pin 27 secured to acollar 28 in turn secured to the threaded shaft 18. Thus as the handle22 is rotated the pins are brought into contact with each other torotate the shaft 18 with rotation of the handle. When the flaringoperation is completed and rotation of the handle is reversed, thehandle and hence the shaft 20 and cone 24 are rotated slightly less than360 without rotating the shaft 18 to provide the proper burnishingaction on the flare produced. Clearly, continued rotation of the handlein the reverse direction after the pins again have come into contactserves to rotate the threaded shaft 18 to withdraw the cone from theflared end to the tube.

The flaring cone 24 is provided with a frusto-conical portion 30 and atapered base portion 31 and preferably is formed integrally with theshaft 20. Formed in the cone portion 30 is a plurality of semi-conicalrecesses 32, each so formed as rotatably to support a roller 33. As canbe seen from the drawings, the rollers 33 are in the shape of a frustumof a cone and are equally spaced around the cone portion 30 with theaxes of the rollers, if projected downwardly, intersecting at a pointwhich is also intersected by a projection of the axis of the coneportion 30. As the cone portion 30 is symmetrically formed on the shaft20, clearly the point above referred to is also intersected by aprojection of the axis of rotation of that shaft.

Each of the recesses 32 extends more than around each roller so that therollers maybe dropped into the recesses and be held therein without theneed of providing further retaining means. Substantially the entiresurface of each recess is in contact with the roller there in to producea flush contact providing firm support. During the flaring operation,however, it is clear that an upward force is exerted upon each rollerwhich would tend to lift the rollers out of the recesses. To retain therollers in their proper position under such circumstances there isprovided a member 35 secured to the shaft 20, as by the pin 36, with themember being provided with a flared skirt portion 37, the undersurface38 of which is slightly spaced above the tapered portion 31 of the cone24. The undersurface 38 provides a thrust bearing for the rollers, thebase of each of which is formed into a semi-spherical section 39 to forma bearing surface. During the flaring operation, however, the rollersare subject to an upward force and the skirt is so positioned as topermit the rollers to move upwardly slightly under the pressuresexerted. This slight shift of the rollers reduces the contact with therecesses to a line contact, that is, the

20 and simultaneously The device just described is one which is quitesimple to assemble. In such assembly it is only necessary to drop therollers 33 into the various recesses and then to drop the member 35 downthe shaft until the skirt portion 37 overlies the rollers, with theunderbearing surwith the bearing surfaces provided on the base of eachroller, and then to insert the pin 36 to hold the member 35 in such aposition. The shaft 20 may then be inserted within the hollow shaft 18,the latter threaded into the collar portion 17, and the handle 22secured to the upper end of the shaft 20.

Not only does the device of this invention produce a tube flaring toolwhich is simple to assemble but the rollers themselves provide a meansof producing an excellent flare on the end of a tube with While it hasbeen pointed out that an exerted on the rollers tending to lift them outof the recesses during the flaring operation, most of the force isexerted inwardly on the rollers forcing them against the surface of therecesses in which they are located. The line contact between the innersurface of the rollers and the inner surface of the recesses produced bythe flaring pressures provides a bearing surface which permits therollers to rotate with a minimum of eflort during the flaring operation.

I claim:

1. In a tube flaring tool, a tube flaring head comprising a cone havinga tapered base portion and a frusto-conical cone portion provided withthree semi-conical recesses equally spaced therearound with each of saidrecesses being radially arranged with respect to the axis of the coneportion, a frusto-conical roller in each recess and held therein byflush contact with the surface of the recess which extends more than 180around each roller, a semi-spherical bearing surface integrally formedon the base of each roller, and a member secured in fixed relationshipto the cone and having a skirt portion extending over and slightlyspaced from the tapered base of the cone, said skirt portion beingadapted to contact the bearing surface of each roller to retain therollers in the recesses and to provide a thrust bearing therefor, withsaid skirt being so spaced from said base of the cone as to permit aslight shift of the rollers toward the base of the recesses under thepressures exerted during the flaring operation to reduce the contactbetween the rollers and the recesses to a line contact along the innersides of each recess and roller.

2. A tube flaring tool comprising a substantially U- shaped frame memberhaving a threaded opening in the base portion thereof, a hollow shafthaving external threads engaging with the threads in said opening, a rodrotatably supported in the hollow of the shaft, a handle on one end ofthe rod for rotating the same, a lost movery little effort. upward forceis tion connection between the handle and the shaft whereby a reversalin the direction of rotation of the handle serves to rotate the rodwithout rotating the shaft until said handle has been rotated asubstantial portion of a single revolution and then to rotate the shaftwith the rod, a cone having a tapered base portion secured to the otherend of the rod, said cone having a fnlsto-conical cone portion providedwith three semi-conical recesses equally spaced therearound with each ofsaid recesses being radially arranged with respect to the axis of thecone portion, a frusto-conical roller in each recess and held therein byflush contact with the surface of the recess which extends more than 180around each roller, a semispherical bearing surface integrally formed onthe base of each roller, and a member secured in fixed relationship tothe cone and having a skirt portion extending over and slightly spacedfrom the tapered base of the cone, said skirt portion being adapted tocontact the hearing surface of each roller to retain the rollers in therecesses and to provide a thrust bearing therefor, with said skirt beingso spaced from said base of the cone as to permit a slight shift of therollers toward the base of the recesses under the pressures exertedduring the flaring operation to reduce the contact between the rollersand the recesses to a line contact along the inner sides of each recessand roller.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS775,572 Lovekin Nov. 22,1904 1,312,333 Lebow Aug. 5, 1919 1,610,463Mirfield Dec. 14, 1926 1,680,798 Maupin Aug. 14, 1928 1,752,508 SchultisApr. 1, 1930 1,795,358 Arndt Mar. 10, 1931 2,072,359 Dobrick Mar. 2,1937 2,546,756 Knowlton Mar. 27, 1951

